PC who denies rape must wait two years for trial

PC Thomas Irwin pleaded not guilty to offences of rape and sexual assault at Aylesbury Crown Court last week

A police constable accused of raping a woman nearly two years ago has been told he must wait another two years before before going on trial.

PC Thomas Irwin, who works for Thames Valley Police and is based at Reading, is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a woman in December 2023.

The 26-year-old pleaded not guilty to the offences at Aylesbury Crown Court last week and a trial date was set for 1 November 2027.

Thames Valley Police has said the charges relate to an alleged incident at a hotel in Milton Keynes.

PC Irwin, who lives near Bedford, was arrested in July 2024 and was charged in September this year.

A police spokesman said he had been suspended from duty, on full pay, and released on bail.

In March, the Ministry of Justice pledged to increase the number of days that were funded for judges hearing criminal cases in an attempt to cut unprecedented backlogs and delays in crown courts in England and Wales.

There had been two highly critical reports which found victims of crime were being failed, and that delays had been caused by cuts, the Covid-19 pandemic and the barristers' strike.

In recent years, cases in Ipswich and St Albans have been moved to Cambridge Crown Court to help combat the national backlog.

Ministers said hearings were being moved to try to ensure that justice was not denied by court delays.